Angry expressions induce extensive processing of persuasive appeals

• Angry expressions led to more favorable attitudes towards strong than weak arguments.
• Other expressions led to equally favorable attitudes towards strong & weak arguments.
• Angry expressions induced processing in people who do not normally process carefully.
• Threat signaled by angry expressions induced extensive processing of appeals.

Persuasive appeals sometimes include expressions of anger in an attempt to influence message recipients' thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. The current research investigated how angry expressions change the way in which a persuasive appeal is considered. In five experiments, participants reported more favorable attitudes towards strong than weak appeals attributed to sources expressing anger, indicating careful processing of those appeals. However, participants reported equally favorable attitudes towards appeals attributed to sources expressing other emotions, indicating a lack of careful processing. Angry expressions induced extensive processing even in those not dispositionally inclined to do so, and also influenced attitudes towards issues related to, but not specifically addressed in, the appeal. Mediation and causal-chain analyses indicate that extensive processing was induced by the threat signaled by angry expressions.